Mixed reaction from politicians to boxer shorts protest against Zeman

There has been a mixed reaction from politicians to the art group Ztohoven’s replacement of the presidential flag over Prague Castle with a pair of giant red boxer shorts in protest at President Miloš Zeman. Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka said he regarded Saturday’s move as a coarse practical joke and rejected the suggestion by the president’s spokesman, Jiří Ovčáček, that it had been fascistic. Defence Minister Martin Stropnický said the incident was not threatening and that it was far better than if shots had been fired, adding that a review of security at Prague Castle had already been underway. Agriculture Minister Marian Jurečka jokingly asked on Twitter who was missing a pair of red boxers. Petr Fiala of the opposition Civic Democrats said the protest had been tasteless and that state symbols must be respected. Another opposition figure, TOP 09’s Miroslav Kalousek, asked why Czechs were paying for security at Prague Castle if such incidents were possible; the artists could have been terrorists with a bomb, he said.

Author: Ian Willoughby